Brussels, Belgium and Berlin, Germany, September 15, 2011 – Last week, the European Union announced its intent to introduce the eCall emergency call system by 2015. Starting in 2015, all new cars in the 27 European Union member states, as well as Croatia, Iceland, Norway and Switzerland, are to be equipped with the European-wide automatic eCall system. By enabling faster emergency response times to road accidents, the eCall system is expected to save up to 2,500 lives each year in Europe. In a presentation to the European Parliament, Neelie Kroes, EU Commission Vice-President for the Digital Agenda, emphasized that “the technology itself is available,” and demonstrated the ATOP eCall solution from NXP Semiconductors N.V. (NASDAQ: NXPI).

Next week, the international HeERO project (Harmonized eCall European Pilot) will be holding a two-day international symposium in Berlin to present the current status of eCall and next steps for implementation. NXP will join leaders in government, industry and other organizations at the eCall Days on September 21 and 22, 2011, to present the ATOP eCall solution, as well as key learnings following its landmark pan-European eCall trial with BMW, IBM, Deutsche Telekom, Allianz OrtungsServices, DEKRA, and four European automobile clubs last year. As the Europe-wide eCall system takes a giant step forward, ATOP is in the spotlight as a compact, affordable and manufacturer-independent solution that is ready to make emergency calls throughout Europe.

“With last week’s announcement by the European Commission, an important milestone has been reached on the road to making a Europe-wide eCall emergency system a reality,” said Kurt Sievers, senior vice president and general manager of NXP Semiconductors’ Automotive business unit. “Successful implementation at both the national and international levels will require cooperation between key players at every step of the rescue chain. We are pleased to be part of the HeERO project, which is carrying out the important work of defining and discussing key issues for eCall on the road ahead.”

eCall Days 2011 in Germany

The HeERO research project was founded by the EU to facilitate cross-border harmonization and coordination. As part of the project, nine countries have been working on the development of eCall functions on behalf of the EU since the beginning of 2011. Through 2013, businesses and other organizations will be developing and testing international and national scenarios, standards, and best practices under the coordination of ERTICO, in preparation for the Europe-wide eCall launch. ITS Niedersachsen is coordinating the eCall introduction in Germany.

At the eCall Days on September 21 and 22, 2011, representatives of the EU, the German Ministry of Transport, universities, and the German ADAC automotive club, as well as technology providers and infrastructure manufacturers including NXP, BMW, Vodafone, and others will discuss progress and next steps towards the Europe-wide eCall launch. The international event offers a complete overview of eCall at both the national and international levels, covering topics such as standardization and timing, as well as technical issues and costs.

On September 21 at 3:45 pm CET, the HeERO project members are set to demonstrate the eCall system with the participation of all organizations required for an efficient emergency services chain – message transmission via the vehicle, matching of vehicle data to the traffic authority’s records in Flensburg, transmission of data to the emergency dispatch center and referral to the country-specific rescue service. Also demonstrated will be fine-tuning measures such as prioritization of emergency calls in the telephone network and much more. The eCall Demonstration with Ministers will be followed by a press conference at 4 pm CET. Government participants will include Martin Friewald (Federal Ministry of Transport, Building and Urban Development), Jirí Žák (Deputy Minister of Transport, Czech Republic), Jörg Bode (Minister for Economics, Labor, and Transport for Lower Saxony, Germany), and Gzim Ocakoglu (Department Head, DG Mobility and Transport, Belgium).

On September 22 at 12 pm CET, Dirk Reimer of NXP Semiconductors will present “eCall: A Stepping Stone to the Connected Vehicle,” which will include a discussion of the ATOP eCall solution.

For more information and a registration form, please visit http://www.its-nds.de/pages/en/events/ecall-days-germany.php.

ATOP: Enabling the Connected Vehicle

NXP has focused on introducing its Automotive Telematics Onboard Unit Platform (ATOP), which makes eCall an affordable option for everyday vehicles. In contrast to conventional solutions, ATOP is not based on proprietary standards. Instead, ATOP takes advantage of existing emergency infrastructure and established standards, connecting drivers with the 112 emergency dispatch number valid throughout Europe, rather than a call center specific to a particular manufacturer. At less than €100, the ATOP eCall units are more affordable than previous solutions to date, and its smaller size makes it easy to integrate into a vehicle’s on-board electronics. As a result, it is now just as practical to install it in a compact car as in a luxury car – even retrofitting it in older cars is simple and affordable. ATOP has been in series production since 2010.

ATOP has also been proven in field trials, including a major pan-European eCall Trial which took place at the end of last year. In November 2010, NXP and its partners BMW, IBM, Allianz OrtungsServices, and Deutsche Telekom campaigned for the introduction of the eCall system with the European eCall Trial which included a spectacular finish line event in Brussels (see video), thereby signaling their support for the EU initiative to launch the European-wide emergency call system. Over a three-week period, three BMWs equipped with the ATOP system from NXP transmitted regular test eCalls to demonstrate the availability and suitability of the technology for cross-border use. More than 15,000 signals were transmitted over a 10,000 mile-long course in 16 countries.

Earlier this year, NXP received the 2010 Sabre Award for best European PR campaign in telecommunications and the 2011 IPRA Golden World Award for best international PR campaign, in recognition of its efforts to raise awareness for eCall along with its partners.

Further information on ATOP and eCall is available at http://www.nxp.com/ecall

About NXP

NXP Semiconductors N.V. (NASDAQ: NXPI) provides High Performance Mixed Signal and Standard Product solutions that leverage its leading RF, Analog, Power Management, Interface, Security and Digital Processing expertise. These innovations are used in a wide range of automotive, identification, wireless infrastructure, lighting, industrial, mobile, consumer and computing applications. A global semiconductor company with operations in more than 25 countries, NXP posted revenue of $4.4 billion in 2010.